The cover of the March/April 2012 issue of The Peak featured a photo of author Bob Mason examining B-24 wreckage near Rio Verde.
Mid-Air B-24 Crash
This article has been published in three parts. Editor
Mid-Air B-24 Crash: Part 1. 1944 Collision Seen by Local Ranchers
Mid-Air B-24 Crash: Part 2. Search for Crash Site
-Air B-24 Crash: Part 3. Postscript
 Part Two: Search for Crash Site
By Bob Mason
Several pieces of twisted aluminum pieces from an aircraft were found east of the Verde River in the Goldfield Ranch development. The associated ridgelines were examined for a match but none were even close. Nor were there any concentrations of debris that Steve Hoza told us we should find at the impact site. The same dead end followed us west of the river in McDowell Mountain Park.
After five months of frequent trips to the desert, Steve Brophy, a friend of the writer, and the President of Page Land and Cattle Company suggested a call to Larry Doka, then a member of the Tribal Council of the Ft. McDowell Indian Reservation. Larry said that he was a schoolboy when the crash occurred and offered a few suggestions for us but asked that, if found, the location not be revealed publicly. On the next search, a significant debris field was found. The ridgeline matched exactly!
Portion of Instrument Panel
When Steve Hoza saw the site he verified that it was indeed from a B-24 but there was not enough there to match two airplanes. A vigorous search in concentric circles around the first site turned up a similar sized B-24 debris field about 125 yards away, obviously the other plane. The experts theorize that one of the two planes bounced away from the other at impact.
Between the two spots scattered debris was found and a pile of rusted tin cans, adding another dimension to the story. Some of these cans opened with keys that twisted off a piece of metal around the top; they were Spam cans. Others were labeled, “Burry Biscuit,†also known to soldiers of that era as the maker of K-rations. This verifies that a group of airmen likely camped here for a day or more as they removed human remains and the larger aircraft pieces, a fact verified in one of the old Air Force pictures.
Some white cloths were spread and selected debris photographed before being returned in place. No pieces were removed. Steve Hoza reminded us that these sites where death occurred are considered sacred by hobbyists and not to be defiled. This site has been treated in that manner.
Twisted Remains of Seat Frame
Related Articles
Mid-Air B-24 Crash: Part 1. 1944 Collision Seen by Local Ranchers – Published July 31, 2015
Mid-Air B-24 Crash: Part 2. Search for Crash Site – Published August 4, 2015
– Published by August 17, 2015
June 22, 2021
This sounds like the crash that killed a member of our family on April 25, 1944. He was as Staff Sergeant and flight engineer. The story we have is that some civilian contractors (possibly General Electric) were at Yuma to run some sort of tests on B-24s. The test aircraft in which the family member died lifted off–I believe from Yuma– with only Pilot, Co-Pilot, Navigator & flight engineer, and a coupled of the Civilians. contractors on board. After completing the tests, and while on landing approach, it collided with a second B-24 that MAY have been coming in from Los Angeles. . Believe all aboard both aircraft perished.
June 23, 2021
Jon, Thank you for your comment. It sounds like the same accident. Bob Mason, the author of the article, did a great deal of research before locating the crash site, which remains a secret. There is nothing at the site. The Army sent in a team that camped out near the site and cleared it of debris It been a couple of years since I’ve read the article, which is one of the best ever submitted to The Peak, and it provides a great deal of information. B